Where the Wind Takes Us
by Salve-SiS
Summary: {AU} Coming to Selphia was supposed to be a fresh start for Frey, a way to escape the monsters threatening to destroy her, but maybe she should have picked another town where there no redheaded dwarves to mess with her head. Frey/Doug.
1. Runaways

**Chapter One **

_Runaways_

* * *

Frey remembered when she first saw an airship. She was a little under six years old, and was taking a stroll with her mother when they caught themselves draped by a large shadow. Frey looked up, and saw what seemed to be a giant balloon hovering in the sky. Awed, She tugged her mother's hand and asked, "Mommy, where did that balloon come from!?"

Her mother laughed, and told her 'that balloon' was called an airship. "An airship takes you to places you can't necessarily get to on foot, or when the journey will take longer if you do."

"It's so high up!" Tiptoeing, Frey craned her neck back so as to gaze up at the airship in all its glory. "Can we ride one, Mommy?" Her mother shook her head with a gentle smile. "Aww, why not?"

"Your father doesn't like travelling. We wouldn't want to leave him here all alone, would we? He'll get lonely."

The almost six year old deflated. "I guess not…" She hung her head with disappointment. Her mother sighed, and, their hands clasped together tight, they resumed their journey home.

But Frey never stopped thinking it. Not too many of them passed by their town, but whenever they did she would stop whatever she was doing, look up at the sky, and imagine how it felt to be up in the sky, surrounded by clouds and embraced by the gusty winds.

And now, more than eighteen years later, she was finally fulfilling her dream. She gazed at the mountains passing by, the top of the bushy green trees covered with snow down on the ground, and imprinted the image to memory. She shivered intensely as the wind barreled against her, wishing she had thought to bring a spare coat.

"Mommy?"

Frey looked down to her lap. "What is it, Noel?"

Her son, whose arms were wrapped around her stomach and whose chin rested on her knee, stuttered, "M-Mommy, I'm c-cold."

"I know, sweetie." Frey stroked Noel's head. "Don't worry. As soon as we land we'll find you a nice warm bed to sleep in, okay?"

"Okay…"

Smiling gently, Frey reached for the large coat sliding off Noel's back and wrapped it around his shaking body. Noel retreated into the warmth of his mother's coat and his trembling decreased, though by no means did it stop entirely. She ran her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes, soothed by both his mother's touch and the sound of the airship's propellers.

Frey's hand hovered over the fresh bruise on her son's cheek. She sighed, hunched down, and kissed the bruise as softly as she could.

"He's adorable," a random voice commented. Frey turned to face the source of the voice, and found it was a grey haired old man with glasses and a cane resting near him. He smiled warmly at her. "How old is he?"

"He just turned seven a week ago."

"How nice. My granddaughter recently turned seven as well. " The old man hesitated. "…If I may ask, how did he acquire that bruise?"

Frey stiffened. Unsure of what to say, she eventually decided on this: "He had an incident with a stray monster a few days ago."

"Oh my," the man's eyes widened. "He's quite lucky to have escaped with only a bruise, then. I had a nasty encounter with a Mamadoodle once. Nearly pecked me to death, it did."

"I guess that explains the freckles then…?" Frey stifled a giggle at the man's affronted expression, and quickly apologized.

"It's alright," the man shrugged. "Not the first time my freckles have caused me grief, and it won't be the last."

Frey did giggle then.

"Oh!" She started when something occurred to her. Smiling nervously, she asked, "Excuse me sir, but could you tell me…where exactly this ship is taking us to?"

The man gaped. "Do you mean to say you got on this ship without checking to see where it was going?"

"…Honestly, it was bit of a spur of the moment decision," Frey admitted. She didn't say anything more, but simply played with her son's hair. The man observed her for a minute, his gaze flicking down to the boy in her arms, before relaxing.

"We're on our way to Selphia," he told her. "You've heard of it, haven't you?"

"Yes, of course. I've heard a Native Dragon resides there as well."

"Is that so?" The man shook his head. "I'll have to do my best to avoid him, then. Reptiles frighten me, you see. It won't be too hard. I'm only staying for a week. What about you? How long do you plan to stay in Selphia?"

Frey thought about it for a minute. "For as long as I can."

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Noel tugged Frey's skirt excitedly, pointing down at what appeared to be their destination. "Mommy, Mommy, I see it! I see the town…it looks so small!"

Frey laughed. "That's because we're still up in the sky, baby. Once we get down, I'm sure it'll be a lot bigger." It would have to be, if it could house a _dragon._

By the time they finally landed, the sun was dipping into the ground, giving off a dark orange glow. After having to stop Noel from dashing off, the two followed the rest of the passengers off the ship and into the town of Selphia, their captain shouting after them the directions to the Bell Hotel-which luckily enough was only about five minutes away.

"Noel, don't step on the snow," Frey said, but did nothing to stop him from trudging through the snow piled up on the sides of the pavement. It rarely snowed back home and he was smiling so much, she didn't have the heart to spoil his fun. She did, however, cut in once he started rubbing his eyes and yawning. She picked him up and, wiping the snow off his ankles, made her way inside the hotel.

It was a teenage girl who greeted the tourists. "Good evening, all of you. We welcome you to the Bell Hotel with open arms." She bowed deeply, then straightened back up and flashed a cheerful smile at them. "If you all would please get into a straight line, my mama will be able to give you all rooms in no time!"

The group of tourists did as she asked, compiling themselves into a singular line at the front desk, where a kindly woman waited to assign them to a room. Like her daughter, she was garbed in Eastern attire that matched the inn's theme perfectly, and emanated warmth and kindness. Coupled with their platinum hair, Frey could definitely see the resemblance.

When Frey finally made it to the front of the line, she was greeted with a smile. "Hello. My name is Lin Fa. How can I help you? Oh!" She jumped, a sparkle of joy suddenly in her eyes as she gazed at Noel. "How cute! The journey must have taken a lot out of him for him to sleep so soundly."

Indeed, Noel had fallen asleep in between the time Frey picked him up and now. His tiny arms were loosely enwrapped around Frey's neck, and he snored lightly against her chest. Readjusting her hold on him, Frey smiled at Lin Fa and replied, "Thank you. We've both had a long day, so I'm just looking to get him into bed. By tomorrow, I guarantee you he'll be jumping on the walls." _And I'll be paying the damages, _she added mentally.

"He wouldn't be a normal child if he didn't. My Xiao Pai used to skip around the house when she was little. You wouldn't believe how many times she came crying to me about yet another scrape. Her papa always got so mad, but I thought it was adorable." She glanced at her daughter, who was now balancing a pile of plates on her arm. "Xiao Pai! Be careful with those; we've already lost eight plates this week!"

"Okay, Mama!" Xiao Pai called out in reply.

Smiling, Lin Fa returned her attention to Frey. "Now, where were we?"

"I was asking for a room," Frey said.

"Oh, yes. Here you go," Lin Fa handed her a key. "That will be…eighty nine gold pieces, please. Your room is on the second floor. Enjoy your stay!"

After paying the eighty nine gold pieces, Frey traveled up the stairs and to her room. It was a snug room, with a single bed placed against the back wall. Sighing, Frey finally allowed herself to feel the total exhaustion she'd accumulated over the past day as she climbed into bed, gently tucking Noel in next to her. He woke up for a brief moment, just long enough for him to yawn and cuddle his pillow until becoming still once more.

Frey's smile over this display of cuteness faded as her eyes landed on the purple bruise on her son's face. It taunted her, reminded her of a monster she prayed would not follow them-but of course she knew he would. He did not give up so easily.

_Don't worry, baby. _Frey thought as she closed her eyes and lost herself to slumber. _I won't let him hurt you again._

* * *

_AN: This is my first Rune Factory fic~Looking online, Frey/Doug don't get a lot of attention, which I think is weird because considering (SPOILER) he could be considered an 'official' love interest-at least in my book. So here I am, adding to the small list of Frey/Doug stories. Hopefully you guys like it. If you have any constructive criticism, don't be afraid to tell me-and it'll help you guys too, since the better at writing I get the better story you guys get to read! _


	2. Help Wanted

**Chapter Two **

_Help Wanted_

* * *

Frey woke up late in the morning, a rare occurrence for her; she was usually awake by six in the morning, but looking at the clock revealed it was half past nine. Stretching, she froze when she realized something was missing.

"Noel?" Climbing out of bed, she searched the entire room, panic rising when there was no sign of her son. "Noel, where are you? This isn't funny-" Her heart hammered against her rib cage as she scanned the hallways. Her eyes landed on a random tourist, and she hurried over to her.

"Excuse me, have you seen a little boy around? He's about this tall-" Frey put a hand near the middle of her thighs. "-and he has green hair-"

The woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen him."

"You…" Frey turned away from the woman, unable to speak through the knot in her throat. She staggered down the hallway, eventually breaking into a run as she hurried down the stairs and into the lobby. There were a few people scattered about, but none of them were her son, and any one of them could be one of _his _lackeys-

She went to the front desk, where that woman, Lin Fa, was busy steadying a stack of papers. When Lin Fa saw Frey coming towards her, she greeted her with a warm smile. "Good morning! How did you sleep?"

Frey had only just opened her mouth when the papers slipped from Lin Fa's hands, scattering down to the floor. "Oh my-!" Lin Fa bent down to pick them up. Frey instinctively joined her, picking up the tossed papers and handing them back to her in a flurry. The elder woman gave her a look of such generous gratitude that had they been in different circumstances, the green haired woman would have blushed in embarrassment. "Thank you, miss-" Lin Fa started to speak but Frey cut her off.

"My son wasn't in our room. Have you seen him?"

Lin Fa blinked, and for a horrible three seconds Frey was so sure she was going to say no, she hasn't seen them, or she saw him hand in hand with a man claiming to be Noel's father, but he wasn't, he wasn't, because fathers do not do what that man did-but then she smiled and answered, "Oh, I saw him playing with my daughter not too long ago! They went outside, if I remember correctly..."

Frey sagged with relief. "Thank you _so much. _You have no idea how-" and she found she couldn't talk, because she was at the brink of tears, and she was about to make her way outside when she heard a familiar voice call out:

"Mommy!"

She turned around in the direction of the hot baths; Noel sprang out from the red door, dressed in nothing but shorts, and threw his arms around his mother's legs in a fierce hug. Surprised, Frey smiled at the sight of her son safe and sound, barely noticing Lin Fa's daughter, who followed Noel out of the bath, clad in a sagging red bathing suit.

Then her expression darkened, and she pushed Noel away by the shoulders so as to frown down at him. "Why did you run off like that?! Do you have any idea how _worried _I was?!"

Noel shrugged his mother's shoulders off, pouting. "I was playing with Miss Xiao Pai-"

"That doesn't matter! You know you're not supposed to wander off like that!" Frey was ready to go into a tangent, but tears began pooling up in the corner of her son's eyes, and she took a deep breath. She asked in a calmer tone, "Why didn't you wake me up and tell me where you were going?"

"I was going to, but..." Noel kicked the floor dejectedly. "You-you looked like you were having a good dream. I didn't want to wake you and-and I thought I'd only be gone for a little while and I could come back before you noticed."

"Please miss," Xiao Pai chose that moment to cut in. Drying her hair with a towel, she gave Frey an apologetic look. "It was my mistake. He wanted to return before, but I was thinking you would not wake up for another few minutes and we could keep playing. I'm sorry for giving you so much distress."

Frey's grip on her son's shoulders tightened as Xiao Pai explained what had happened. Not taking her eyes off him, she pulled him back into another hug. "You scared me...don't ever do that again, okay?"

"O-okay, Mommy," Noel sniffled, rubbing at his eyes after his mother released him. That, coupled with the way he kept kicking the floor like a dejected puppy, washed away the last stains of Frey's anger.

She gave him a peck on the head and, with a smile, asked, "Hey, want to come help me find a job?"

Noel looked up at Frey, all traces of sadness vapidly vanishing in favor of hopeful excitement. "Really?"

"Really...after we get dressed, of course."

* * *

Half an hour later, mother and son were out exploring Selphia, able to properly admire the town's beauty now that the sun was up. Frey knew of a few establishments looking for hire thanks to Xiao Pai, who wrote a tiny note listing them all. She handed it with a wink to Noel, who blushed long after she was gone. It was cute, Frey mused. His first crush.

Their first stop was closest to the hotel. Porcoline's Kitchen was a large building from which the most delectable scents wafted through the open door. There were several people already inside, eating what must have been the most delicious food. Noel edged towards a young girl with a plate of cookies in front of her, a hungry look in his eyes. Frey tugged him back towards her and shot him a look of disapproval, to which he responded with a guilty smile.

Frey made her way to the counter, where the owner and chef greeted her with a jolly smile. They managed about a minute of conversation until he started to hit on her, at which point of time Frey rushed out, her face red as the chef called out after her declaring his love.

Their next stop was the flower shop a few blocks away. It was run by an elf named Illuminata, who was friendly enough, but stared at Frey with narrow eyes, her hand fiddling with her monocle the entire time. When Frey reached the part about a job, Illuminata apologized and said she'd already hired someone, but to come back later in case they turned out to be another common criminal.

Frey exited the shop, dejected. She looked over the list Xiao Pai gave her one more time, and sighed. She'd never even touched a weapon before, so the blacksmith was a no go, and clinics made her sick. That left the grocery store. She made her way to Blossom's General Store, her head high and her back held up straight, unaware of how drastically her life was about to change.

The door was unlocked, but no one was in sight. Her determination fading, Frey wandered in hesitantly, her grip on her son's hand tightening as she called out, "Hello? Is anyone here? The door was open so..."

Noel was silent, his eyes roaming around the area until landing on a sole chocolate bar resting on the counter. "Mommy, look!" His eyes lit up, he made to grab it, but was stopped by his mother.

"Noel, don't touch that. It's not yours."

"But I'm _hungry, _and it's been _forever_ since I had any sweets."

Frey protested, "You had chocolate three days ago!" but the look on her son's face, and the reminder that a lot had happened since then, caused her to sigh and relent. "I'll get you some chocolate later, but leave that one alone. It's someone else's, and it's not nice to steal someone else's things."

"Oh, don't worry about it!"

This was a new voice. Frey turned to the right, where a young man descended from the second floor of the building. He had a serious case of bed hair, and his eyes were half closed, but other than that he was the perfect symbol of energy. His ears, upon further inspection, were slightly pointed at the tips, which meant he was either half elf or a dwarf. "That's mine," he continued. He swiped the chocolate bar from the counter surface and twirled it around in between his fingers. "But you know, I wouldn't sharing it, if you want."

Noel looked ready to accept the offer, but then hesitated, and looked up at Frey. She merely shrugged with a small laugh, to his relief, and he was quick to approach the man-who, Frey realized, was still dressed in his pajamas. Had he really just woken up?

The man crouched down so he was face to face with the seven year old and shot him a wide grin. "What did you say your name was again, kid?"

"I'm Noel." Noel said, and held out his hand for the man to take.

"Nice to meet you, Noel! The name's Doug." The man, Doug, grasped Noel's hand, gave it a good hard shake, and the boy giggled. "I haven't seen you in town before. You new here?"

Noel nodded. "Yeah! Me and my Mommy just came yesterday, on this _huge _airship. It was so _cool, _wasn't it Mommy?" _  
_

Frey smiled. "Very. I was a little worried at first, when I saw how high up we were, I just about fainted! The distance looks smaller when you're on the ground, doesn't it?"

"I couldn't say. I've never been on an airship before." Doug laughed. It was breezy, carefree, untainted and uplifting. Frey felt better just listening to it.

"So, what brings you here...?" Doug trailed off as he broke the chocolate bar still in his hands in half. He handed one piece to Noel, who eagerly popped the entire thing in his mouth.

"Frey," Frey supplied her name. "I'm Frey, and I was wondering if maybe I could talk with Miss Blossom about...whether maybe she could give me a job."

"A job? Here?" Doug rubbed the back of his head. "I don't see why you'd want to work at the general store. It's SUPER boring...and I should know, since I _do_ work here. But anyway, the store's closed today, actually. Granny Blossom's not feelin' too good. Which reminds me...how'd you guys get in here, anyway?"

"The door was open."

"It was?" Doug's eyes widened, and he muttered under his breath words Frey couldn't hear, though she thought she detected the words "have to stop" and "one of these days".

Frey frowned. "I hope Miss Blossom feels better..." she coughed. "Um, when do you think she'll be better? I'd really like to talk to her as soon as possible..."

She tried not to let it show how desperate she was, but it must have broken through somehow because Doug's expression softened. "Tell you what. I'm not sure when old Granny'll be up, but I'll talk to her about it later today and see what she says. That sound good?"

"Did you hear that, Mommy?" Noel swallowed the rest of the chocolate down and beamed up at her. "You got a job!"

"Whoa, I said _maybe_, kid!"

But Frey thanked him all the same, her eyes wet and her voice shaking with hope.

* * *

_More than a month, and I hate this chapter btw, it's so rushed. I also changed the summary a whole lot, which is because...SPOILER: I changed the plot. Which I guess is not a spoiler because it's not like you guys knew what I was gonna do anyway. _

_Ugh, I haven't played Rune Factory in awhile, and I've been really into Phoenix Wright games, so I'm afraid that's leaked into this chapter's tone-but there's nothing for it, I guess. Please forgive any OOCness, and I'll see you guys next update~ _


End file.
